Rail.



O. B. VINBS.

RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED r3341, 1914.

1, 1 1 7, 1 1 1 Patented. Nov. 10,1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

x Illlllllll Illlllll IIIHIIIW Illlilllll my OUSE BURK VINES, or ROCHELLE, LOUISIANA.

' RAIL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 10, 191.4;

Aplication filed February 11,1914. Serial No. 818,094.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OUSE BURNE VINES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochelle, in the parish of Grant and State of Louisiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Rails, of which the following isa specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in rail construction, the object of the same being to provide rails which have their ends so constructed and arranged as to provide interlocking joints when associated with co-acting rails.

A further object of the invention is the construction of rail ends which interlock to provide the joint of the rails and are integrally formed with side or fish plates which engage'within the fishing spaces of the coacting rail ends.

With the above and other objects in view, v

the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following specification and falling within the scope of the appended claim.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of two rails having their ends constructed in accordance with the present invention, and being interlocked to provide a joint between the rails, Fig. 2 isja central longitudinal section through the web ofthe rail ends, Fig. 3 is an elevation of the joint, the side or fish plate of one of the rails being broken away, Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view on the line of Fig. 3, Fig. 5 is a similar sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 3, Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the end of one of the rails, and Fig. 7 is a view looking toward the opposite end of the rail.

In carrying out my invention I provide a rail the body of which may be of the ordinary construction and includes the head 1, web 2 and base flange 3. The base flange, however, is preferably of double the thickness of the ordinary rails.

While in the accompanying drawings, two rails having co-acting ends are illustrated, it is to be understood that each rail has both of its ends constructed in a similar manner. In the accompanying drawings for convenience, the rails are designated by the letters R R. The enlarged ends of the rails have their webs out centrally and longitudinally to provide one of the faces of the webs of the rails with an extension 4. This extension projects beyond the head and base flange of the rail, and has its upper or outer face rounded downwardly at a point adjacent the head of the rail. This rounded edge is beveled or inclined from the inner toward the outer face of the said extension, as indicated by the numeral 5, but the said edge, at the juncture of the tongue with the head of the rail is horizontally straight, providing what may be termed the shoulder and which is designated by the numeral 6. The extension 4, for the sake of convenience, will hereinafter be referred to as the tongue of the web. Theopposite side of the enlarged web 2 has its end terminating in a wall 7 The beveled wall 7 provides a substantially V-shaped opening between thetongue 4 and the face or the web upon which the said wall 7 is formed, the curved portionqthereof terminating at its upper end in a horizontally straightportion formed beneath the head of the rail, similar to the shoulder 6 and arranged. flush with but. to one side of the saidshoulder. The substantially V-shaped depression provided between the wall 7 and the extension 4 provides a pocket to receive the beveled edge 5 of the co-acting rail, its shoulder 6 receiving the straight portion or shoulder providing the upper terminal of the said wall 7, when the rail ends are assembled.

The base flange for the rail, as stated, is of a greater thickness than that provided upon the ordinary rails, andis, at a suitable distance from the terminal of the wall 7, formed with a depression 8, the lower wall of which being horizontally straight and the outer edge of which being beveled from the tongue to the longitudinal edge of the base, as indicated by the numeral 10. The outer side Wall formed by the depression, indicated by the numeral 9, is arranged at an outward angle with relation to the tongue 4, and extends over the end 10 of the wall 8. The upper portion of the base on the opposite rail end is beveled or inclined rear wardly, as indicated by the numeral 11. The lower portion of the base, below the beveled edge 11 is inclined or beveled rearwardly from its outer edge in the same dimotion as that of the end or wall 10, as indicated by the numeral 14, the said wall 14 terminating in a vertically straight longitudinally extending wall 12 which is disposed centrally between the said wall 14 and the wall 10. The base between the ends or walls 11 and 14 is cut horizontally straight, so

that a portion of the inclined portion 11 overlies and projects from the inclined end 14, and thus the underface of the extending or projecting end of the portion 11 is horizontally straight, as indicated -by the numeral 15, and is arranged in the same plane as that of the horizontally straight wall 8. The faces of the webs formed with the tongues 41: have integrally formed therewith longitudinally extending plates 17 which provide the rail ends with fish plates, that are adapted to engage within the fishing spaces upon the opposite sides of the rail ends, when the said rail ends are assembled. in assembling the rails, the inner straight walls of the tongues are arranged adjacent each other and the beveled ends of their base flanges are thus arranged so that the portions of the flanges formed with the angular ends that are arranged in the same direction will be disposed adjacent'each other and the fish plates adjacent the sides of the co-acting rails. The rails are then moved until the ends of the heads abut or nearly abut, which movement forces the beveled and inclined edges of the tongues into engagement with the curved walls 7, and the upper portions of said curved walls 7 are formed with straight walls or shoulders which overlie the shoulders 6. i

If desired, the extending portions of the fish plates may be provided with openings which correspond with similar openings in the webs of the co-acting rails and securing elements in the nature of nuts and bolts are passed through the openingsand when the rail ends are so connected only a limited longitudinal movement of the joint is afforded, and a lateral or vertical movement of the joint is entirely and effectively overcome.

' Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

Two rails having their ends, constructed to provide interlocking joints, each of said ends having its Web cut medially and vertically to provide the same with an extension that projects beyond the head and base of the rail and which has its upper rounded end beveled to provide a tongue, the opposite face of the web provided by the said out terminating in a curved transverse Wall which is beveled and which is adapted to receive the tongue ofthe co-acting rail, the base of the rail being enlarged and having its upper portion depressed to provide angular ends which are arranged in the same direction from the longitudinal edges of the base flange of the rail and which provide the lower portion of the rail wit-h pockets, the said pockets having their ends inclined in the same direction belowthe upper inclined portions of the pockets which provide additional pockets, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 1n presence of two witnesses.

OUSE BURNE VINES. Witnesses F. B. HATCH,

A. H. BROWN.

Copies of this patient may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

